Chapter 2959: Stealing Half a Day of Leisure from a Floating Life

Who doesn't know the sea has tides? But those who don't live by the sea usually don't know how fast the tide comes in, especially during an astronomical high tide — human legs can't necessarily outrun the water. "People who go wild swimming, some can't get back because the tide rises and falls too fast, and just drown right in the middle of the sea." Sun Fuling shook off his hand, took two steps onto the reef rocks, and reached into a crevice to feel around.

She first fished out two or three round, pitch-black things that looked like coal briquettes, but were covered in spines.

"This, is a sea urchin?"

She had read about them in several natural history records, but actually holding one in her hand — this was the first time!

"So these spines can still move?"

He Lingchuan pulled out a small knife: "Pry the shell open and you can eat it raw."

He took the sea urchin, pried open the shell, and in a few quick moves finished processing it, using the knife tip to lift a small piece of tender yellow sea urchin meat:

"Want a taste?"

Sun Fuling leaned in and bit the piece of sashimi off his knife tip.

He Lingchuan watched her cherry-red lips, his Adam's apple bobbing involuntarily a couple of times.

"Fishy..." she furrowed her delicate brows, but after savoring it carefully they soon relaxed, "Hmm, no, it's actually a bit fresh!"

He Lingchuan was a little surprised; the speed at which she accepted new things was much faster than ordinary people.

Sun Fuling licked her lips, then reached into the rock crevice again to fish for things.

He Lingchuan didn't recommend ordinary people do this, because hands easily get cut by sharp rocks and oyster shells, but her...

The only reason she didn't smash this entire reef rock to pieces with one punch was because she wanted to enjoy the fun of groping for fish.

Sun Fuling fished out another thing and placed it in her palm: "This is so cute! What is this?"

This thing was white and soft, like a miniature rabbit, and actually had two ear-shaped antennae, its body surface also fuzzy. "Sea hare." He Lingchuan added, "It's a kind of sea slug."

"Keep it." She tossed the sea hare into the bucket.

When she withdrew her hand from the rock crevice again, her fingertips were actually pinching a large blue crab, nearly as big as a coconut crab.

The crab's large pincer was clamped onto her fingers.

She raised her hand and shook it twice, but the angry crab refused to let go of its pincer no matter what.

"Catch a couple more!" He Lingchuan egged her on, "Once we return to Huicheng I'll have the chef make you pan-fried crab, the flavor is domineering."

"Good!"

However, Sun Fuling roamed the entire reef rock, and what she caught after that weren't crabs that big — they were either shellfish or mudskippers, and there was even a cuttlefish.

He Lingchuan deliberately poked it a couple of times, the cuttlefish got startled and suddenly squirted ink at Sun Fuling's face.

If she hadn't dodged fast, she'd be washing her face in the sea right now.

Her reaction was also fast; she flew up with a kick and sent He Lingchuan flying into the water.

The two played and tussled, the seawater rose, quickly submerging the entire stretch of reef rock.

By the time Sun Fuling left the sea, she discovered the wooden bucket floating on the water, the catch inside basically all escaped, only that large crab remained at the bottom of the bucket waving its big pincers at her in defiance.

When she looked around, she discovered He Lingchuan was gone.

Where did this rascal sneak off to?

Sun Fuling wasn't anxious either, simply went ashore and carefully wrung the seawater out of her clothes and hair.

After a good while, a person burst out of the sea with a splash.

He Lingchuan came ashore, a large crab in each hand.

"Here, dinner is settled."

Sun Fuling accepted them with a grin and put them in the bucket, letting these three brothers fight it out first:

"How did you catch them? You didn't use the trident, did you?"

The Sea Emperor's Trident has infinite marvelous uses, one of which is attracting sea clans.

Specifying species works too, for instance it can summon all sharks in the nearby waters.

He Lingchuan stared blankly: "Catch a crab and you'd use a divine artifact? Isn't that underestimating me a bit too much?"

Tsk, a woman being too smart isn't good.

But these few days traveling with her, He Lingchuan only discovered that he didn't fully understand her — even though he had spent over ten years with Master Sun in the Panlong World.

She possesses all of Master Sun's traits, yet isn't completely Master Sun.

She naturally also has the Red General's sharp edge and decisiveness, but she naturally isn't completely the Red General either.

Master Sun is good, gentle and wise, understanding;

The days living together with her in Panlongcheng were good, leisurely and comfortable.

But He Lingchuan always felt something missing, always felt a sense of insufficiency.

He originally thought it was his own greed, but until Sun Fuling entered the world, he suddenly realized:

This is the woman he wanted!

Vivid, lively, a vitality as vigorous and powerful as flames.

Master Sun in the Panlong World was slightly thin, because she was only a part of Sun Fuling's personality, no matter how beautiful she lacked the feel of a living person. Of course, the current Sun Fuling may also differ from the real world's Zhong Wuhen.

Historically, she was born for iron-blooded battle.

But Sun Fuling in the Panlong World had ample time to observe worldly affairs, contemplate the future, reflect on herself, while also observing He Lingchuan's words and deeds.

Her vision and temperament were both far broader and more profound than her self of two hundred years ago.

The two laughed and tussled a while, then sat side by side again.

She rested her head on his shoulder, closed her eyes feeling the coolness of the sea breeze on her face. He Lingchuan reached out, lightly encircling her.

In this moment, he wasn't the Nine Nether Great Emperor who shook the world, she wasn't the Red General who struck terror at the mere mention of her name.

They were just an ordinary pair of lovers, enjoying each other's company, enjoying a plain and tranquil happiness.

Neither spoke, but both understood — the journey ahead would be grand and tumultuous, and the half-day of leisure they stole was merely a small interlude.

Also the moment of peace before the storm arrives.

Days like this, leaning together watching the tide rise and fall, will probably be hard to come by again in the future.

They cherish it deeply, and because they cherish it, they are content.

He Lingchuan was saying: "I originally thought you were all-knowing and all-powerful, like a great square vessel."

It turns out that even Sun Fuling doesn't understand these small creatures in the sea.

"Most of the time, I'm also cultivating or in dormancy, and I don't stare at you constantly." Sun Fuling laughed and laughed, then suddenly leaned over and kissed him at the corner of his mouth, "Thank you."

It turns out he has always remembered his promise to her.

In the Panlong World, He Lingchuan once promised Sun Fuling that he would definitely take her to the seaside to see the ocean with her own eyes and taste the seawater with her own mouth. In real history, from birth to death, she never saw the sea.

That was a long time ago, and even Sun Fuling herself didn't take it seriously.

But He Lingchuan remembered, and he even had the Earth Mother specially detour to Bai Sha Bay, because this place was very important to the former Panlongcheng.

In history, after Panlongcheng conquered the Mao River Plain, it eagerly opened the trade route from the wilderness to Bai Sha Bay. It had long grown tired of its isolated state and desperately craved a seaport and contact with the world.

Unfortunately, Panlongcheng's possession of this trade route was very brief, lasting only a few months.

Soon after, Fu Shanlie arrived at Longchuan. The Panlong forces were again forced to retreat west of Longkou Pass.

Standing at Bai Sha Bay feels like standing at a historical crossroads—behind is history, ahead is reality.